WEEK 2 SEC CO-OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: Darryl Williams, C, Mississippi State,...Williams, a preseason All-SEC selection, graded out the highest for an MSU rushing attack that produced 210 yards against a Southern Miss defense that hadn't surrendere d a 100-yard rusher in 15 games...Williams allowed zero pressures in his start at center...Southern Miss entered the game having not surrendered 30 or more points in 12 consecutive games, representing the fifth longest streak in the nation. - SEC Footbal l

Kylin Hill rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown to lead Mississippi State to a 38-15 win over Southern Mississippi Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium. Hill was injured late in the first half but returned in the second half and totaled 67 yards and his touc hdown run in the second half. The Bulldogs (2-0) finished with 386 yards of total offense and collected 210 yards on the ground. "I thought we didn't flinch in the face of adversity and we had moments to do that," said head coach Joe Moorhead. "We had on e guy go down on offense and then on defense. But as I've said, we have good leadership in our program and we have to be like our mascot and be a Bulldog. Our offense found a good balance and productivity. We left some things on the field but as we progr ess, we will clean those things up. It was just a good team win."

Southern Miss (1-1) was held scoreless in the first 40 minutes of action. The Golden Eagles got their first touchdown on a Jack Abraham 28-yard touchdown pass to Jaylond Adams. Abrah am also connected with Jordan Mitchell in the final quarter on a 65-yard scoring toss. Mississippi State was efficient in the first half on offense and held a 21-0 lead at halftime. Quarterback Tommy Stevens opened the game a perfect 9 of 9 passing befor e being injured late in the second quarter. Stevens had touchdown passes to Osirus Mitchell and Stephen Guidry before exiting the game. The Bulldogs added a Nick Gibson 13-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left in the first half. But the first half was costly for Mississippi State as Stevens did not return to action in the second half. The former Penn State transfer finished 9 of 10 passing for 105 yards and two touchdowns. - AP College Football

Tommy Stevens had to wait a long time for his first start as a college quarterback. But the wait was worth it. Stevens passed for two touchdowns and ran for one as Mississippi State defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 38-28 on Saturday in the Mercedes-Benz Supe rdome. The former Penn State backup who learned from Bulldogs' second-year coach Joe Moorhead when Moorhead was the Nittany Lions' offensive coordinator, completed 20 of 30 passes for 236 yards.

He had passes of 31 yards to Osirus Mitchell on the g ame's first possession and 12 yard to Austin Williams early in the fourth quarter to complete a 21-0 run. "I texted Tommy last night," Moorhead said. "I told him this is the opportunity you've worked your whole life for. Go out, play loose and have fun. "I thought it was a good positive step for the rest of the season." Kylin Hill rushed 27 times for 197 yards and a touchdown and Stevens had a 4-yard touchdown run that broke a 14-all tie with 31 seconds left in the first half. - AP College Football

Penn State graduate transfer Tommy Stevens has won the starting quarterback job at Mississippi State. Stevens beat out junior Keytaon Thompson and will start Aug. 31 in New Orleans when the Bulldogs' meet Louisiana-Lafayette in their season opener. Missi ssippi State coach Joe Moorhead is very familiar with Stevens from their shared history at Penn State. Moorhead was Penn State's offensive coordinator from 2016-17, while Stevens was a reserve quarterback for the Nittany Lions from 2016-18.

"It was a great, great competition," Moorhead said Thursday. "Both guys are similar in size and provide equal threats in the run game. We said the decision making was going to come down to who could create explosive plays, who could minimize turnovers and who c an throw the ball with the best accuracy on a consistent manner. So we informed the team that Tommy Stevens has earned the right to be the starting quarterback for this year." The 6-foot-5 Stevens went 24 of 41 for 304 yards with four touchdown passes an d one interception in 23 games at Penn State. Stevens also rushed for 506 yards and eight touchdowns, and he caught 14 passes for 62 yards and two scores. Stevens is replacing departed three-year starter Nick Fitzgerald, whose 3,607 career yards rushing were the most ever by a Southeastern Conference quarterback. - AP College Football

2019 PRESEASON COACHES ALL-SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM: LB Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State,...Thompson enters his junior season with 133 total tackles, including 14.5 for loss and six sacks, in 26 games played. He has started 16 straig ht contests, including all 13 games last season for the nation's top-ranked defense. Last season, Thompson ranked second on the team in total tackles (87), tied for third in tackles for loss (9.0), added 3.5 sacks and collected a pair of interceptions.